To answer your question, I thought about what items I take with me on retreats.
Sewing machine
needles (both hand and machine)
scissors
rotary cutter
ruler (what kind will be a personal choice - people like their rulers for different reasons)
cutting mat
seam ripper
glue is something I can't live without, both liquid school glue and glue sticks. I hesitate to add it to a list of things for brand-new quilters, but fortunately glue is both cheap and easily available.