To respond to those who posted regarding my comment on the thread in the waste basket. Yes! There are yards and yards of thread there from taking out a seam, yet we "save" thread with leaders and enders. Saving where we can anyhow. I suppose this is somewhat akin to putting those orphan blocks into something usable. Waste not, want not!
Perhaps those quilts using orphan blocks are somewhat "memory quilts" as each one brings back the memory of "when i made that quilt" and "it was for a special person/a special occasion".