All you really need is a little plastic thing of needles ($1), some pins ($1), thread (varies but even good cotton thread isn’t that much), scissors (where you might actually consider investing a little - do not use these scissors for anything else, and consider a rotary cutter if you really get into it), and fabric.
Fabric might seem like the pricey part of the equation, but consider how much a thrift store is going to charge you for a duvet or a pile of t-shirts! I have something like 30 t-shirts I spent maybe $5 on several months ago, and I’ve been working through that pile for a while.
You can turn a t-shirt into a pillow, a reusable bag, use the scraps to patch clothing, make dolls, quilts… The bits that get to be so small to be unusable for a scrap quilt you can use to stuff things.
It takes a lot of time compared to machine sewing, but it’s an activity that can be done while watching a tv show.
I thought that every pack of needles came with a needle threader, which looks like a diamond shaped metal wire and a little part that you hold. That already is a big help.
Not sure about every pack, but every kit (which is usually worth grabbing just because it is a cheap way to get the basics and a couple colors of thread) definitely does. But it is one more thing to faff about with and you still need to thread the wire loop. Versus just putting some thread in the slot and pulling/pushing.
Is that what that fuckin thing is for?