I've stitched through mine a couple of times. Painter's tape is good.
The machine can inadvertently be the culprit. You have to lift up the slider if you are using either a Brother 1500 or Juki 2010 set into the table. The Juki has to have the bobbin cover lifted just to change the bobbin, and the more you disturb, the more likely to slip. I imagine a slider on a top loader would have to be moved, too.