At the moment I'm working in a standing hoop, quilting the Baptist Fan pattern. Because of the narure of this pattern I started in the lower right hand corner of the quilt, working across the quilt, row by row. In order to prevent puckering, I was more careful to baste the quilt more than I normally would. So far, so good!
It makes very good sense to begin your quilting in the middle of the quilt, but sometimes, depending on your quilt design, you may need to prepare your quilt differently so you can still get the best result.