That was a very interesting line of questions and answers. As a handquilter for hire I run into that problem all of the time. Those who don't do any kind of handwork have no idea what it is worth. I live close enough to the Lancaster Amish area to be able to go there at least once a year. Their quilts sell for huge prices. Most of them starting at $600 and going way up. I have seen some appliqued ones for $1500. I have also noted that they do not always use high quality fabric and often don't remove their markings which are usually #2 pencil. One of the guilds I belong to sent a raffle quilt to an Amish woman to have it quilted. It cost them $700 about 7 years ago. They then entered it in the State Fair and the judges commented on the pencil markings that were not removed.
I have discovered a way to "tie" a quilt by machine. I use it on Linus quilts or items for my grandchildren. I set my automatic buttonhole on my Bernina for a tiny buttonhole. I then use it to "tie" the quilt. That stitch tacks both ends of the "tie". I then just slide the whole thing over to the next area and resume. At the end I have a lot of threads to snip but that is all. I used this method a lot before I finally broke down and learned to machine quilt in a very minimal way. Instead of in the ditch I use a decorative stitch so that it becomes a part of the design. I can do a Linus quilt in a little over an hour on my home machine.
Most of the general public is like your relative. They are accustomed to the "disposable" bedding now found in our big department stores. My basting is usually smaller than the so called quilting on those items. Tell her your work would be like the 600 thread count sheets that bring premium prices these days.