I am probably the wrong person to comment on this. I've been quilting a little less than 2 years and am self taught. Never been to a quilting class, never been to a quild. I've donated most of my quilts. I prefer the solitude so I can concentrate. If I were a "hand" quilter, I could socialize and stitch too as I have done this with other needle work. And often I do not use a pattern ... I let the fabrics tell me how they want to laid out- Ha.
However, you 2 are friends. I would probably make time to work with her some to keep her encouraged about quilting.