Noticed recently on rag quilt that I made for my dog, I missed sewing the X through a couple of blocks. It has been washed several times and those blocks look no different than the ones that have the X sewn through them. This quilt was made with three layers of flannel and nothing shifted. So, I am thinking that the fleece and batting will stick together just fine without any stitches in the middle, especially since the shelter has experience with that method. In fact, I may skip that step if I make another smaller size rag quilt. The blocks without the X seem a little softer than the others.