I'm sorry I was unclear about the different feet. I am familiar with which foot to use, walking and FMQ hopping one. I think the presser foot pressure may be an issue, I have grandkids and it may have gotten moved from the factory setting.
I also think that not starting in the center of the quilt and quilting in quadrangles might be causing puckering. Do you all quilt in quarter sections?
Also, is it important to have precisely the right needle? When I'm stitching through only two pieces of fabric the needle seems like it's not going through the layers of fabric without making an effort with a 90/14 that the guy who owns a sewing machine/vacuum shop said to use. That seems way too big to me. I had been using a 75/11 quilting needle for quilting and piecing. Can a needle cause a problem with the feeding of the quilt through the machine if it's not piercing the fabric easily?
And haven't been fussy about which thread I use either. I've simply been using Dual Duty Polyester, but my quilting book says to use cotton. How important is it to have a specific thread?
Thanks for the help!