Puddling is allowing the quilt to lay around the sewing machine and even in your lap. You scrunch it up instead of rolling it, making a "quilt puddle".
It helps to have room all of the way around your machine for the quilt to lay on, so it doesn't pull on the area you are quilting.
Some push another table up to their machine, set their ironing board up next to it, anything to be able to spread the quilt out :D:D:D