Have you tried a different thread? I've only done their Goose Tracks with the border, and I had no problems with it at all. I have a Brother Innovis 4000D. Just curious, where is your thread shredding? I had an issue with some shredding as the thread was going through the take-up lever, and the tech found a burr on it. Now, how do you get a burr there? Who knows? He sanded it down and it worked like a charm.