I keep a lot of my fabric in "collections" of colors and prints that "go together." I could literally run into my sewing studio, grab a box, and use the co-ordinated fabrics inside the box to make a complete quilt. (I buy the fabric, then slowly make up my mind what I want to do with it.) The rest I keep organized by color. I keep 30's prints and novelty prints for I-spy quilts in separate collections.

In the long run, the answer for you would depend on how you start most of your quilt projects.

Do you usually make quilts that only use a few fabrics? Then you need need several yards of the same fabric, with yardage amounts written on the selvedge edges.

Do you prefer scrappy quilts, using as many fabrics as possible? If so, you might keep strips and smaller scraps, sorted by color, in gallon zipper bags, mixed in with your stash according to color.

I have what I call my "generic" stash - the backbones of my fabrics - sorted by color in an old china hutch with glass shelves and glass doors. It's nice to see at a glance what I have. Then to further organize, I have a large plastic tote just for the fat-quarters, and I have the larger (4 yards or bigger) pieces of fabric separate in a stack in a cupboard. I also have "categories" such as '30's, plaids, batiks, novelty prints, etc. etc. in large totes and these are in the cupboard, and on shelves at the end of my cutting table. I try to also keep on-going projects in their own tote, have 4 or 5 of these, plus I have totes that hold my scraps, each one labeled as to size of scrap. I think you have to organize according to what kind of quilts you like to make, what works for you personally. Fun, isn't it?

Ok you both have me thinking now and that was what I needed! I want my smaller pieces out for use with the birthday blocks, monthly lotto blocks, etc. So I will put my fat quarters out, my small boxes with the pre cut squares and strips and then I'll see if I have enough room for the collections that I have.

I see that I'm not the only "Tote happy person"! LOL! I have so many that I have fabric in that I had to stack them on top of each other in my closet. It was so much trouble to get to anything that I would usually just go buy more fabric. Which is the last thing I need to do! It looks like a cotton explosion right now where I have all the totes out and open!

Alright I'm going in!!!! Call for backup if I'm not back in an hour! Thanks, ladies!

I scratch my head over this quite often.

I collect cat, fish, halloween, leaves, stripes, black/whites and dot fabrics. So I keep those grouped together. Batiks are kept together. The rest is organized lucy goosey by color.

I am lucky enough to have a room where I have a wall of industial selves on which I put plastic boxes 15x11x6. I keep my fabric folded by color, plaids, stripes, novilty prints, period, 3o's, Christmas, holiday, batiks, marbled, hand dyed, small prints and misc.. When I have small pcs. I cut them up into patches of different sizes, eg. 2",21/2",4. etc. I sort them into plastic bags and covered shoe boxes and I have started to use them as "starters & enders" which I hope to turn into a scrap something someday. I also have some wooden cloths bars that I use to hold the fabric I am using in a current quilt and my UFO's.
I have some trays that I also use for current blocks and small pcs. that I can stack when I want.
I think organization is a personal thing that has to meet your needs and space. Jayne

My storage systems seem a work in progress lately. I use the core of toilet paper rolls for scraps around that width, cores of paper towels for wider cuts & fat qrtr remnants. Those all reside in one larger box (copy paper size).

Current projects & more recent UFOs have taken over boxes (from file folders brought from the office). In recent couple of yrs that I've been buying yardage, I launder & press it & drape it over wire hangers, like for pants. I esp. like using the hangers 'cause then I can see the variety all at a quick glance!

There are some good ideas here. Yesterday I went through all the totes except one and it's all Holiday fabrics. I got all the small pieces like FQs and 1/3 yd. cuts and down, folded them, sorted them by colors (or close enough!) and stacked them inside the cabinet. I also put my collections of FQs or 1/2 yd cuts on the shelfs too. It's starting to look better! Now I'll have to go through the larger pices and seperate them by colors. I sure hope to get this all done before I have to go back to work Friday!

Of course I've had some of this material since the 80's and going through it like this makes me wonder "Why in the world did I buy that?! Some of the fabric colors will not match anything bought today! Looks like lots of scrap quilt tops will be made when I get things back together and get a new sewing machine. Mine finally bit the dirt!

See Bonnie Hunter's website for loads of great advice on what to make from all those mismatched scraps. She makes gorgeous quilts using even the "uglies." Quiltvillehref>