I sort by size because I can see color and print but not size.
* greater than 5 yds goes on boards that jo anns and quilt shops throws out.
* between 1-5 yards, I wrap them on comic book archivial cards (about 8 x 11")
* less than 1 yard, I wrap them on fat qtr boards (cut down from comic book cards)
* strips & strings are sorted into 2 tubs: lights and darks (grocery bag brown is the dividing color line between lt&dk)
* scraps are cut and sorted into either 5" squares or 2.5" squares and sorted into "those already swapped", and those "waiting to be swapped". This organizes all my fabric and I find it most useful, and obviously, you can sort the fat qtr boards and the comic book boards into what you like:
color, fabric type (batiks, civil war, brights, solids etc), collection, etc.
I wash, test for bleeding, and starch as I use them before cutting to size. Hope this helps you. Work at it a little at a time, and eventually you will have easy access to all your fabric. Jane