I'm sorry about your husband, Rose. I hope it all works out for the best.
I've taken applique and hand piecing with me to the hospital and on vacation, so both are possibilities.
Applique can be learned from a book. I learned needle turn applique from Elly Sienkewicz's 12 Easy Ways to Applique; Rodale Press also has a good book that covers all the applique methods.
Janet