Blue painter's tape, as wide as you can find. I use this in multiple ways; this is just one. Roll the tape around your hand a couple of times, sticky side out, and adhere to a convenient surface as a thread catcher. Just touch threads to it and they stick. When filled, toss and make another.
Elmer's white washable school glue. You may find this works better than pins for matching intersections when piecing, and for applying binding.
Seam ripper. I like the small, inexpensive, blue Dritz seam ripper.
Dritz adhesive seam guide refills (JoAnn's might have them) or, if you can't find that, the thickest moleskin you can find in the foot section of a pharmacy. I use these to create a physical barrier for my 1/4" seams. (Jan's above is another way to do this.) Here is a link to the Dritz refills I like best:
http://www.amazon.com/Dritz-Quilting...dp/B0085L2Y2I/
You can wait on batting. A good one to start with is Hobbs 80/20 (80% cotton/20% poly). If you like vintage style quilts then you will want to go to 100% cotton. If you prefer fluffier quilts, you will want to try out the polys. But 80/20 is a good starting point.
Edit: Oh, yes, and at least one can of the best spray starch you can find. Later on, for the backing fabric, you may also want to purchase a quarter of Sta-Flo liquid laundry starch; but that can wait.