If she only does piecing of tops, she is a quilter, but she is certainly not above you, regardless! If anything, someone who makes a quilt in its entirety (like you do) has a larger skill set. Maybe she just meant that she and her mom are a quilting team? Or that her mom can do it all, but she herself only pieces? It's hard for me to imagine why she'd have a superior tone unless she was trying to exalt her mom as the better quilter of the two? ? Who knows?