I recently took a beginner's quilting class. There was this burley gentleman taking the class too. He'd also worked on repairing big 18-wheeler diesel engines for his whole life. When his mom passed, she gave her sewing machine to her daughter but she didn't want it so she gave it to her brother. He decided he wanted to make a quilt for his grandson. He worked so hard and was completely comfortable with the delicate and exacting nature of the process of quilting because he'd had to be that way working on engines. He said the best part was that he didn't have to get his hands all knicked up and greasy dirty. His quilt had an space theme with bright colored fabrics and stars that glowed in the dark. The back was one big piece of the solar system and it glowed in the dark too! He was so proud of it.
I'd say make him and offer and if he doesn't seem interested let him know that the offer is always open. Tell him about my classmate and maybe he'll decide to take a beginner's class just to see what he can do. Never hurts to try.