WOW!
23 responses in the first 8 hours. And all helpful and thoughtful.
It looks like the main problem is that I am using a product that has a brand name, and should be a quality product, but isn't. I see many responses detailing problems with Elmer's and nobody saying that they like it. I will quickly change to 3M and discard the Elmer's. Easy enough. It is $3.99 a large can in our area and the 3M is about three times as much but if it works, it is well worth it.
If I still have some problems, there are several other good suggestions I can try. So far, I have been happy with the rest of the system I use and if I can get the paper pattern to stick to the tape, I think I will be happy.