I sort my fabric by length/size, fat quarters, less than 1/2 yd, 1/2 yd, 1 yd, 1.5 yd, 2 yd, etc. I sort by color within that size. I don't have the size stash that some have, a a 5 shelf book case 3 feet wide and a couple of shelves on another book case. Thats for quilts. I have a tub of doll and bear makings, a tub of fancy fabrics for Crazy quilts, and a tub of clothing fabrics, from when I made all my own clothes. Then there are the cross stitch fabrics, floss, beads, and on and on. No wonder I moved all the quilting material ( both sane and crazy) to my studio, and the rest is out in the shed.