Chocolate!!!!
Seriously, good rotary cutter, extra blades, a good mat and a couple or so rulers. Just what everybody has already said here.
Several seam rippers, too. I have about 5 or 6 and I keep them in various locations so I can unsew in several areas not just in the sewing area.
Thread, various colors, and a brand (s) that both you and your machine like to use. Lots of bobbins, if at all possible. Good needles in correct sizes.

Other then my basic sewing tools ( my list of basics is very long) I have to have my Go and dies. If my Go broke tomorrow I'd have another one tomorrow night. I consider the SlideLock ruler a safety have to have, not a luxury item.

I love my battery powered seam ripper! It is my favorite "School Supply"

I love my accuquilt cutter, too. I have made many quilts that I would never have even tried without my accuquilt cutter. Who wants to cut 150 -200 or more 2 1/2" strips or squares with a rotary cutter? I think the strip cutters are the bread and butter of the cutter. You can cut binding, sashing, borders, squares, diamonds and probably more with the strip cutters. I also love the block dies, like the Hunter's Star, or Drunkard's Path, or Winding Ways blocks. Wouldn't even consider making those quilts without my GO cutter. It's so much easier than using templates or speciality rulers, and so much more accurate, too.

My 3 x 24 ruler, my Fiskar's rotary cutter and the champion of them all; ta da the seam ripper.

I thought about this, and I would say my " must have" quilting tools would be my graph paper and colored pencils, pens, and crayons. I like designing my own quilts. I have even copied others' antique quilts to paper and instructions, so they could remake them. It is a relaxing activity for me.

I'm seriously attached to my red Fiskars rotary cutter, and my brown Clover seam ripper. I find an old flat-tipped eyebrow tweezer great for removing stitiches I've ripped out b/c I don't have the finger dexterity I used to have.
Other items I find so useful: a wrist pincushion that has a soft fabric velcro fastener/bracelet, not that awful hard plastic bracelet; the chalk marker pen with white chalk...NOT yellow chalk which is hard to brush out; fine Clover pins. I think Clover products made for sharpness are very sharp. And, finally, one of those sticky tape rollers, great for cleaning up.
I send you good wishes to find "favorites" as you go along your way in one of the best hobbies you can have. Blessings, Angela

Must haves
 

Hi, can you please tell me how you make your own groovey boards? I would love to know so maybe me and mom could make some. Or are you interested in making and selling some? IF you want to email you can [email protected]. Thank you

My favorite tools are the 6 x 12 Olfa frosted ruler, new blades in the rotary cutter, my tucker trimmer, my 4" sharp scissors and a glass of wine. Oh, and my stiletto. tool, not heels.

I don't think I need any of those rulers but I sure like the inner border on her quilt.

Above the basics of sewing machine, rulers & rotary cutters I find Elmer's washable glue and a heavy starch (both using a dry iron) to be essential. They really improved my cutting and piecing.

For me:

Basics (other than the ones you mentioned) rotary cutter, 24" x 36" mat, 6" x 24" ruler, and 12 1/2" square up ruler.

Nice to have: June Taylor shape cut ruler (great for cutting strips), wrist pincushion, and I love my Gizmo http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...13SFWVGD6STET3 (I do lots of chain piecing--really speeds up the cutting apart of pieces without the danger of accidentally cutting the pieces).

Luxuries: I am using my EQ7 program more than I thought I would (I like planning my own patterns with it) and good marking tools (I have Frixxon pens and chalk pencils).

Here is the opposite of what you are asking for! Just in case you would like to know, what NOT to buy,..read through this and discover what many of us have 'wasted our money' on.
http://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1...y-t202622.html

Miss Eleanor is AMAZING! i have a couple of her cd's and want to get the Victory Quilts next. MSQC is equally as great! yes, you need all those little tools and gadgets, they really WILL come in handy! you never know what you might come up with once you look at a couple youtubes and get some omnigrids in your hand! you may even find an iron or two that suits your fancy! ;)

I agree with you on the green mats - much better!