Darling quilts! Your applique is really well done. Reminded me of an applique quilts for my sister's first baby. I did some applique very much like you do of a rocking horse that she chose but added the baby's initials for the brand. She lost the baby at birth and buried him with the quilt because she wanted him to have something from family with him. I could not have been more touched, and I'm sure it's one of the reasons I continued to quilt back then.
Thanks for sharing. Bittersweet memory, sure, but I haven't thought of Shane's little quilt in a while.