On the construction, if you want to do something simple that really looks nice, make an envelope quilt. You can use batting, or not, right sides together sew around the perimeter, leaving an opening, then turn right side out, sew the opening shut, then run 2 rows of stitches vertically to anchor the batting so it won't shift.
I measure the width of the quilt, divide by 3, then sew the lines at the 1/3 mark. So, if the width is 12", divide by 3 is 4", so I sew a line 4" in from the left side and the right side.
It's very simple, it looks nice, you can do it quickly, and they wear extremely well.
Also, on panels, look for pillow panels as well. You can cut them and arrange them on a quilt with borders. Here's an envelope quilt I did using pillow panels.