I wouldn't be so pleased with the pieced border and wouldn't have done it on a quilt I made for someone else. I'd have a pretty good reason for myself on why I didn't do something different -- but sometimes you don't get to hear the part of the story that involved the reasons why. Last week I was fussy cutting some border and I still don't know what I did, but I clipped about a 1" hole right smack in the middle of the piece somehow. I was lucky that I had lots of fabric but it could have caused issues if I hadn't had enough for another full cut.
It seems like so much, especially compared to what a purchased bedspread costs, but I think that's pretty reasonable actually. Part of it might be with that much money and with that much time waiting, could anything have matched up to your dreams?
It takes 10-12 yards of fabric for an average top, some of the more modern square designs closer to 6+, but without the discounts you get from buying bulk and stuff, I rough budget $100 for the top, $20 for the back and $40 for batting and incidentals (thread, any designs or other things) as my starting point, real costs if I have to buy fabric are generally higher. Then about the cheapest you could get it quilted here with an all over edge to edge design would start around $100. (The semi-custom level of work that I would want and can't afford in my area costs closer to $300). The quilting quality looked good. I think anything you get for less than $350 is pretty good. Personally though, that's a lot of money for me which is why I make and not buy.
I know the actual blankets that wrapped your dear child are gone, but there will be other blankets. Now that you found us here, we can help you make a top that is more to your heart's desire. A lot of people come to quilting for one project, I started as a senior in High School because I wanted to take a quilt with me to college. That was 40 years ago. A lot of people do want to make a baby blanket or have sentimental objects like baby clothes or shirts from a deceased father or whatever.
Again, I'm glad you found us here but I'm sorry it was from a negative experience. I would send a picture of the missed seams and a note that "I didn't really expect the amount of piecing in the section" and that it was an additional concern of yours.
I'm hoping that the paid quilter can tidy up their work. It's probably not worth the postage, time or aggravation. No, it's not the way you/your top should have been treated. So much we don't know -- like I know a friend of a friend was trying to earn some money and yarn tied another ladies quilt, when the understanding was she was going to "quilt it down". To her, she was doing that -- to the lady who pieced her top she had ruined it.