things I 'have' to have:
cutting mat (huge, huge one from Joanns)
rotary cutters - I keep going back to the cheap ones from years ago at Joanns - don't think they are available anymore - nowadays it's ones with all kinds of 'guards' built in - yuk
rubberized gloves from wallyworld gardening dept - absolutely essential and perfect for stippling using regular sewing machine
those cheap safety pins from wallyworld - the real thin ones - great for pinning a sandwich for stippling
things that were a waste of money:
those 'clips' that go around a quilt to keep it rolled up - a major joke
as said by others - lots of different marking things that don't work