It looks like that top corner is your problem area? Was that the top of the project and did you start from the left or the right? I might look at positioning on the frame and whether or not maybe something is happening like if you have curtains behind your set up, maybe they reach out and grab the lines of the machine head as it goes by. It doesn't go down the full project so I don't think it is your issue, but if your bars have connectors sometimes you get jumps/issues at the connectors and so you place small projects to left or right but not dead center.
My natural inclination is to make everything super tight -- that didn't always work out so well for me. For me it mostly showed by skipped stitches.
The other thing I had to watch is that I like rather fluffy batts anyway, and nothing I used was labeled. I learned to check the foot pressure every time. I reset it to default when I was done (think the manual recommended a dime? thickness). There are a lot of advantages to buying and using that one big roll of consistent batting.
Sort of like a leader/ender in chain piecing, I usually had a piece of fabric about 4x6 or so in the extra fabric/batting to the side. I'd start there, make sure up/down and left/right and circles felt good before moving on.