No, the popping/breaking usually occurs in the middle of a line..Not on one of the ends ( that might not be locked down good)....And my quilted lines are spaced around 3 inches apart...
I honestly think it's a combo of the cheaper thread (and not poly)and not a looser tention... What's the typical tention setting when quilting that you guys use?..As I said, the guy set mine at 4