I'm still using the glue stick. It must've been the masking tape that made the needle gum up and NOT the glue. I'm using a little thicker stabilizer now so the design doesn't just pop right out from all the stitching.
I had to try something to save my design! I kept wiping the needle down with alcohol at every thread change and sometimes a couple of times in between. I saved the design!
I ordered some of the spray basting from Connecting Threads. We'll see how I like it when it arrives. I'm pretty happy with this glue stick, though! :D :D :D