I had a friend that swore by the rayon emb thread to quilt with..she bought really cheap on large cones....guess what...some of her machine applique is now coming apart..it is like the rayon just mowed through that fabric....

Have you tried asking on the APQS forum someone there usually has a solution.

Sulky is a good name brand of different types of thread. Rayon is not a good quality thread no matter what brand though. I use a small size needle 80 or 70 when I use rayon for decorative stitches. I start with the tension at 0 and turn up 1/2 setting at a time until I have perfect tension.