Thanks for all your suggestions. I'll let you know if any of your suggestions makes a difference or if I'm also invisible thread challenged.

Wish I had some good advice. That last time I tried to use it, I broke 3 needles. The last broken needle put a hole in the fabric of my wall hanging. I appliqued over the hole and switched to matching colour thread. It worked fine but it was a pain to keep switching colours with each new applique. Good luck!