Just a guess but I think the problem may be because the fans all around the center were quilted flat it puffed the center circle out more. I did a dresden plate table runner in the hoop on my embroidery machine and the center circles are slightly puffed out because there is no quilting on them but the blades all around the circle were quilted. On my daughter's wedding quilt also a dresden plate I had the centers quilted also and they lay nice and flat.