Having issues doing applique pawpads

So I'm trying to do pawpads using some vinyl material on my hand paws, much like in matrice's video tutorial. I've done it a ton in the past, but all of a sudden my machine is skipping stitches like crazy when I try to do a zig-zag stitch for the applique technique. I'm thinking its my needle since I've had to buy new ones since then. What kind of needle should I be using? I've tried the standard sharp and a knit's needle, the latter working a bit better. I should also note I can do the stitch fine when either fabric is separate, its when I lay vinyl on fur I get the problem.

Any ideas?