Utility Quilts
Utility quilts are made to be warm and were once very heavy out of necessity. Drafty uninsulated homes were difficult to heat. They were also used for winter buggy rides or car rides at the turn of the 20th century. Old tattered quilts or whole cotton was used as batting. The backing was also sack cloth. Today, these quilts are called "Improvisational."
Some quilts were reversable (two pieced tops tied together). These were often made with wool or double knit scraps. My great grandmother made one like this. She used several strands of embroidery floss to piece it by hand. It was so thread heavy, I could barely lift it.
Many of these quilts were made of denim and tied together with knitting yarn.
Denim quilts made with lighter weight twill can be stitched like any other quilt.
Lightweight twill lends itself well to elaborate embroidery.
Heavy Fabric Choices
Bull Denim, Twill, Worsted Wool, Fleece, Microsuede, and Double Knit Polyester (popular in the 1970s).
Medium Weight Utility Quilts
Other utility quilts were strip pieced or made with smaller scrap pieces. These were common through the Depression. In the 1950s, they were made of mercerized cotton shirt fabric. Needle punched cotton was used for batting. Sack cloth was still used for the back. These were often hand stitched in the ditch.
Medium Weight Fabric Choices
Mercerized Combed Broadcloth, Flannel, Spring Weight Wool, Pimatex, Poplin, Hemp/Cotton, and Dropcloth (flour sack).
Light Weight Quilts
Lighter quilts were made for summer weight bed dressing. They may have been backed with feed sack with no batting. T-shirt and neck tie quilts fall in this category because they are not heavily quilted. They may be stitched in the ditch and tacked at 4" intervals.
Light Weight Fabric Choices
Jersey Knit, Double Gauze, Quilting Sateen/Broadcloth (sugar sack), and Muslin.
Special Ocassion Quilts
Quilts made for special occasions are patchwork or paper pieced. They can be simple or elaborate and are often made to commemorate an event. Double Wedding Ring is at the top of the list. It is the most popular and recognized quilt there is. Wedding, signature, memory, graduation, and baby quilts tend to fall in this category.
Special Occasion Fabric Choices
Mercerized Cotton, Quilting Sateen/Broadcloth (sugar sack), and Dropcloth (flour sack).
Exhibition Quilts
Exhibition quilts are real fancy and made only for show. Many of the quilts made today would qualify as exhibition quilts based solely on the pattern and quality of the work. Quilting has gone in and out of being a thrown together affair or an art form at different periods in history based on the economy and how much idle time women had for needle work. Exhibition quilts were a way for women to showcase their embroidery or skill for working with difficult fabrics. 
The velvet Crazy Quilt with its silk embroidery and batting is a shining example of this category.
Exhibition Fabric Choices
Sheeting, Cotton Linen, Cotton Velveteen, Velvet, Silk, Satin, Sateen, Cotton/Silk, and Rayon.
Art Quilts
Art quilts are all the rage these days and the sky is the limit on what can be done with them. An art quilt falls into the exhibition category. It can be a full size quilt or a wall hanging.
Art Fabric Choices
Aside from the obvious, there are some other fabrics to consider for embellishment.
Silky Voile, Heavy Gauze, Harem Cloth, and Net.
Backing Fabric
The backing fabric you choose depends on whether you intend to quilt by hand or machine. Hand quilting requires a low thread count fabric that is easy to pass a needle through. Any medium weight fabric will work for machine quilting. I like to use poly/cotton or 100% cotton flat bed sheets for backing my quilts because they're cheaper than purchasing yardage and I'm guaranteed that the backing will be the perfect size for my quilt without piecing it.
Backing Fabric Choices
Osnaburg (feed sack), Muslin, Flannel, Satin, Mercerized Combed Broadcloth, and Quilting Sateen
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