As a longarmer, I can tell you that $170 is about average for a queen size quilt. I charge anywhere from 1.25 cents a square inch to 2.50 cents a square inch. You said her quilt had applique on it, so I probably would have charged 2.50 cents a square inch for quilting it. There is always a seperate charge for binding the quilts. I personally charge $5.00 for each 42" strips that goes around the quilt. Most queens take 10 strips. So if your wife only paid $30.00 that is a pretty good price. It normally takes 8 - 10 hours to put a binding on a queen size quilt. I hope this helps for future quilting projects.