Good Morning mjb125m! It is another lovely day in southern California! I should stop bragging because there are people who are suffering with floods and other things. I am blessed to be here.
Puckering, the bane of all embroiderer's existence, gets its life from several sources. It can be too loose hooping, lack of sufficient stabilizer and a design that is too heavy for the fabric. There may be other reasons, but I think those are the major ones.
Check out my latest blog on hooping and the one before that is on stabilizers. You will find one or two tips that will possibly help you.
If you have a picture of your project, upload it so we all can see and make suggestions. If you need help with uploading, check my information on that at uploading photos.
Be sure to post again if you are having issues. There are so many knowledgeable people who want to help here at ATG.