I had that same issue come up for me and I think the approach I've taken isn't terrible. I updated my resume and for years I was contracting, I wrote a seven word synopsis for each project I did during that time putting it all under a big heading of "Contracting". I sent my updated resume to some recruiters and they've gotten me several interviews. On the interviews, I've gone into great detail on the relevant projects and mentioned the companies I worked for.

I haven't gotten a job from that part yet but at the same time that I was dealing with recruiters, I called all my best clients and told them what was going on with me to let them know I wasn't going to be available for future work. During that call, I asked them to keep there ears open for anyone who needed me full time. I ended up getting a job from one of my clients with the understanding that I would be looking for a full time position. I had to give him a really low rate though but the dependable income is really nice, especially considering how many times I haven't gotten paid on jobs.