:D Hello jlea and Welcome to the QB!
You say you are new to quilting, have you done much general sewing before? For pressies for them I would find out what they are interested in at the moment. I have a two year old grandson who loves pirates, cars and fire engines. He has a pillow cushion in the shape of a car that he takes to bed with him every night. You could make one and attach applique shapes for doors etc. A round pillow for a pirates head would be easy, you could piece that or applique a scarf, eye , eye patch, moustache etc. Cushions can be made in the likeness of just about anything, what about a dinosaur? My grandson also has a rucksack that he likes to carry his cars and books around with him when he visits or goes on car journeys, what about some kind of a bag? These are things for now but if they are made well there is no reason why they could not last as long as any shop bought teddy for instance. If you want something in the traditional quilty vein then a straightforward throw/bedcover in a simple design shouldn't be too hard,and it would be quick too. There would be no need for fancy quilting, straight lines would work well.
I hope some of these ideas help,
Hope to see you around here and find out what you decided to do! Good Luck :thumbup:
Sue (aka rummage)