patricej

i see the problems you are asking about.
the good news is that most people won't see them as problems.
just accept the praise graciously, cut yourself a break, and see how much you can learn from it for your next project.

which sort of batting are you using?
that can make a huge difference.

if it's cotton or a cotton/poly blend it will shrink, so some of the puckering will look "natural."
if it's 100% poly, then what you see now is what you will see always.

how snugly did the long-armer baste the top to the batting/backing layers?
if she didn't make sure it was kept flat and smooth, then the stitching you add will cause the slack she [might have] left to pucker, scrunch and/or tuck.
most long-armers float the tops now. easier for them, but it's all a bit looser than it would be if done the old fashioned way.

do you press as you go?
when i run into the problem you're having i will lay it out, starch and press the next 6" or so of the area i plan to quilt next.
that doesn't guarantee i'll get what i want but it nearly always gets me closer.

is it puckered on the back, too?
that might indicate a need to fiddle a bit more with the tension, but i'm fairly certain it isn't your settings.
maybe a longer stitch length would help. go up one "notch" to see. it won't hurt the look of the quilt or quilting because your top thread is going to virtually disappear into the top anyway. only huge differences would be noticeable.

are you making sure to keep the weight and bulk up off the machine bed as it passes under the presser foot.
weight and drag are the two worst enemies of straight line quilting.
hold the sandwich up about 6" away from the foot.
using both hands, positioned across from each other, about 4-6" apart, gently flatten the bit that's about to go under the foot.
take care to not stretch it.
keep everything to the right of the foot as squooshed or rolled as tightly as possible to avoid crowding or cramming it through the throat/harp.
take care to not push the sandwich under the foot.
let the machine do the work.
make sure you have plenty of space behind the machine and table so the quilt can drape over and not bunch up behind as you go.

finally, take our word for it.
after it's washed it won't look as awful to you as it does now,
i promise ... you will be pleasantly surprised.
you might even love it as much as everybody else does. :-)