First off - thank you to everyone for your responses, suggestions, and links! You are awesome!!!
It is the right template for the hoop, it was brand new from the box. The other hoops/template combos I have are similar.
The thought that the front of the machine vs the back of machine room for the foot may differ never occurred to be but I bet that's it!
The owners manual (which I had already consulted) did not mention anything about why the markings/centre was not centre of the hoop....go figure.... I can't be the first one who wondered that....
Folding the fabric, marking the crosshairs, making oversized and trimming to where I wanted it, all those things I'd already been doing, but I just thought "why don't I use this handy template since they gave it to me!"....
I was really surprised that the dealer, who is a large, well known dealer for this brand of machine did not know the answer to this question and another question I had....
Thanks again!
Elaine