i think your quilt is lovely. i enjoy seeing the diversity in nature, and that includes snakes. they are more helpful than not, and they only strike when scared or hungry. if we fear the unknown, the best way to counter that is to make it known. i taught pre-school and my ball pythons were invited every year to meet the children. the kids were never afraid but i had to kick the teacher of one class out of the room. fear can be learned easily. ball pythons are about 4' long at maturity and docile if handled well. cleo was especially good and would let anyone hold her , or wear her. she spent 4 yrs in h.s. with her buddy mark anthony and they spent most of their time on some kid, lol. garter snakes are lovely, they eat things we hate and they are non-threatening. that all having been said, i don't like being surprised by snakes. the 2 would sometimes escape my son's tank and then i would find them under the bed, hissing at me, or in the bathroom, enjoying the tile, i guess. that was unsettling. my son still has cleo, 24 yrs and counting. she is no longer safe to pick up because she's blind and will strike at air disturbances, like hands in the tank. who knows how long she will live, but she will continue to be a quiet part of the family until she passes. she has met hundreds of children and taught them about snakes, and kindness, and curiosity. pretty good for a snake, i think!