There was a thread specifically about this some time ago. We need one of our search experts to find it for us!
I have a fairly simple digital camera that takes great pics. The best thing is that it focuses automatically. If I have a small quilt to depict, I put it on my design board. If I have something larger, I use one or two pressure grip pants hangars to grasp it, and hang those on a tall bookcase we have in the living room. In the summer, I remember that the advice was to go outside to take a pic. I use the gripper hangars and hang them on the deck wall.