I'll look into mesh, thank you for that suggestion. Though I have a ton of vinyl to use up somehow, I hate buying something then not using it, it feels like I'm wasting money.
The plastic I used was 8 gauge - super, super thin, I felt like I could rip it if I applied enough pressure.
I'll try using vinyl one more time and maybe not use the specialty feet - I got to thinking about it earlier but since I'm putting fabric around the edges, I'm working on that instead of the vinyl, so if I'm careful, I could maybe use a regular foot instead. If it makes that noise again, then no more vinyl in my machine. I deep cleaned my machine before I started this project, I always do so unless I maybe got a hunk of lint somewhere it wasn't supposed to be, the machine is clean. I'll clean out around my bobbin again after I'm done with this project, I just finished the binding and the strips needed for the main zipper, I still haven't heard that noise.
I also didn't think about embroidery stabilizer, I'll be sure to keep that in mind when I work with the vinyl again. I heard the paper trick in passing and gave it shot and it worked okay, seemed a little fiddly but it's my first time with a project like this, so everything is fiddly, lol.