A really, really essential piece of dressmaking kit are good scissors. Treat yourself and keep them well hidden from everyone else in the house!  You will need a pair for cutting fabric (shears) and ONLY use them for fabric, they should fit comfortably in your hand and not be too heavy to handle.  The handles should be at a slight angle to the blades enabling the bottom blade to sit flat on the cutting surface.  You will also need a small pair of trimming scissors, mine are approx. 13cm long and the bottom blade is pointed and the top curved at the end.  Great for unpicking and trimming seams.  The third pair you will need are for paper.  Do not cut paper with your fabric scissors they will blunt quickly.