I'm not sure if anyone has suggested this already, but here goes. In the Quilt University class on machine quilting, Carol Miller suggests top stitching needles for machine quilting on batiks. Because the fabric is boiled to release the wax they us to form the patterns, the weave is extremely close and may be more difficult to machine quilt. So maybe try a topstitching needle in your machine and see if that helps. Hope it does.