I think e4 has a good idea. I understand your predicament. I decided to take 30+ years of fabric and wash it all. It is taking me weeks and I'm still not through. But what a difference it makes when you organize your colors so that it is like going to a quilt store and you can just pick fabric out and use it when needed.

Your time is growing short to get your Christmas presents done, so I would do this to get some sort of order in your sewing room. You can always go back after you finish your projects and do a better job of folding and organizing. By then you will have a better idea of what is & is not working for you.

First thing I would do is get some bookshelves. I have 3 – 7 foot bookshelves in my sewing room that I keep my fabric in. This is for the larger pieces of fabric that are at least a half yard or more. I sort out my fabric by color, fold it simply and put it on the shelves. For now, use big groupings of basic colors like black, red, blue, green, yellow, etc. You can go back later for fine tuning as you find out what your preferences are when working.

Pieces smaller than a half yard I would put in those big see-through plastic bins, again, by color. Pieces smaller than a fat-quarter, I would just put all together in one bin as scraps.

I would do as e4 suggested and keep Asian fabrics, holiday fabrics and specialty fabrics, etc. on a separate shelf and not mix them in with the regular fabric colors. It will make them easier to find later on. All non-cotton fabrics are put away in plastic bins and do not get mixed in with my cottons at all.

You can get bookshelves for FREE on Freecycle in your area. You just have to be able to pick it up.

I also use the shelves that I don’t put fabric on for those plastic drawer sets you can get at Joann’s. I put all my tools in these drawers and label the drawers so I know what is in them. Additionally, I put all my patterns in a plastic shoe box and my quilting books on the shelf. I really love using my bookshelves for this purpose, it keeps everything neat and I can see what I have at a glance.

I hope this gives you some help in organizing your sewing room.

Best of luck with your project, at least you are trying to organise. I buy old suitcases of all sizes at thrift stores, auctions, etc... and put fabric,ufo's, patterns, whatever in them. You can stack them, put them under beds if you have room. Plus alot of them have pockets for misc. I know me tooo well, there is fabric, patterns, all over the spare bedroom, then when we have unexpected company, I can put the stuff in one of the suitcases pretty fast.

I am SO GRATEFUL to all of you!!! The ideas are wonderful, and the kind words mean so much to me!!
I think this time of year has to be the worst for what I'm in the throes of- I may just do as mac says for now and fine-tune after the holiday madness is over :D
Thank you all so much!!!!!!!!!!!
HUGE HUGS,
Sue

Oh my gosh, it's going to be like a fabric feeding frenzy for you! :lol: And if I weren't doing exactly the same thing you are right now (trying to organize an overwhelming amount of fabric and sewing/quilting stuff) I'b be right there along with the others PMing you and getting more...more...MORE!! Fabric, ooo fabric...when is that next meeting of Fabricholics Anonymous?

I sort my fabric by color, fabric for OBW's, Christmas prints, multi darks prints, multi light prints. One small drawer has scraps, I can use to test stitches on w/ small strips of leftover batting. They are in covered plastic boxes, stacked around the perimeter of the room and under my sewing/cutting table. This works for me. The boxes have gotten larger over time. :lol:

I would love some of your calicos. I also have a paypal account, since I shop on Ebay. Let me know how soon I can set up to pay for two boxes. And, thank you!

I just did mine and I have 2 boxes of "why did I buy this?" and "I'll never use this!" that I'm donating to the local guild for charity quilts. I'm trying to cut back my purchases too, not so much for financial reasons (although that's always a consideration) but for space constraints.

I would like a box I have a pay pal account. I neede to get more fabric I sold my stash and DML's be for I moved I just didn't think I would get back in to it. pm me with your account

Friends, please be patient with me. I am filling 2-3 orders per day and spending a lot of time in my sewing room.
As you can imagine I'm getting lots of requests!!
It pleases me greatly, I just wish I had more hands and hours lol
THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!
Sue

Sent you a PM. Although I should be doing what you are doing and destashing also. I finally told my DH that I am a fabraholic. He just laughed and said he already figgured that one out!