Thank you everyone for your ideas and insights!! It has been a real motivator to get me started!!
So, I STARTED tonight, just started with a bag (like the reusable grocery bags, only tougher) that was always overflowing and getting in my way. I just reached in and grabbed a handful of fabric.
Some were FQ's, some were rather oddly shaped pieces, some were little, some were close to FQ's, and some were even more substantial yardage.
In the middle of this bag was a lot of black-and-white or white-and black FQ's. I know EXACTLY what my original intent was for those, so I just grouped them together, and then any other B&W or W&B I came across, I put in that FQ stack. Maybe that project will come back to the forefront of my never-ending list of "I wanna do that..."
Of the rest...
Anything much larger than FQ's, I just folded and considered it to be "yardage".
Anything close to FQ's gets folded to the same size as (or close to) my other FQ's.
Anything considerably smaller than FQ's, I considered how to cut into 2 1/2" strips or 5" charms (whatever produced the least waste), and just stuck those in two separate boxes. I decided to stick with those two sizes ONLY, because there are SO MANY patterns using the precuts, this just made sense to me.
I found a handful of four-patch blocks. And a couple other "orphan" blocks. I tossed them in the coffee can where my volunteer HST's (leftover's from flying geese and snowball blocks) live.
I came across some really skinny strips - probably only 1" wide. I tossed them, as I seriously doubt there is going to be a postage stamp quilt in my future.
I'm planning to hit the dollar store for the clear plastic shoeboxes to put all this in. For the moment, I have a couple of cardboard boxes to at least corral everything. I need the clear stuff though, so I can SEE what I have at a glance.
I don't do applique (I'm AWFUL at it!!), so the itty-bitty stuff just got tossed. ( I can HEAR some of you groaning!!)
The bag is now only half-full, instead of overflowing and bursting at the seams. So, I'd call that progress!! Maybe if I do a little bit of this every night when I get home from work, I MIGHT get it all sorted out in the next year or two!
For the moment, I'm ignoring all the totes that have yet to be tackled - since they're not clear, I don't see it, so I don't feel guilty. :P
Again, I just want to say THANK YOU QUILTING BOARD FRIENDS!!!! I wouldn't have even tried to do this without your help and encouragement!!