Originally Posted by e4
Any system that works for you is the right system. I sort by main color for general fabrics of a 1/2 yard or more. I also separate batiks, orientals, holidays, and 30's fabrics. If it's a fat quarter up to a half yard it gets folded with fat quarters. Anything less gets cut into my standard scrap strip sizes and separated into lights and darks. That works for me, but anything that works for you is what you should use.
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.