I know you said you wanted to avoid the yarn tuft things in the borders, which I think means you don't want to tie the quilt at all. However, tying is still an easy, simple way to finish a quilt, and you can always tie french knots in the top and have the "tufts" on the back of the quilt where they won't show. Just a thought. If you'd prefer quilting it, another good option for beginners is to use a decorative stitch on your sewing machine. I know one quilter who selected a wavy stitch on her machine and the quilt is gorgeous.
http://www.redpepperquilts.com/2010/...oin-quilt.html
Good luck and make sure you post pics of the finished quilt!