If you have ever wondered where needlepoint designers, shop owners, canvas makers, thread companies, and finishing experts all gather in one place, meet the Autumn Needlepoint Reunion, or ANR, as it is affectionately known.

Held at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Dallas Frisco Hotel & Convention Center in Frisco, Texas, ANR is a wholesale needlepoint market and trade show. It is where the industry comes together to discover new work, place wholesale orders, catch up with old friends, and make plans for the season ahead.

For Ashley Evans Designs, the 2026 Reunion is especially exciting: we are attending as a new exhibitor, bringing our hand-painted needlepoint canvases from Willow Beach, Ontario, to the market for the very first time.

So, What Exactly Is ANR?

ANR is a trade-only gathering for the needlepoint industry. The event is open to registered wholesale exhibitors and retail buyers who work in the needlepoint world; it is not a public consumer show.

The exhibitor side includes canvas designers, thread and fiber companies, finishing specialists, accessory makers, and other businesses that create products for needlepoint shops. On the buyer side are independent needlepoint stores and retailers from across the United States and Canada.

In simple terms, ANR is where shops come to see what is new and decide what they would like to carry. It is part showroom, part market, part reunion, and, naturally, part very enthusiastic conversation about stitching.

The name “Reunion” has an important history. ANR began as the first needlepoint market held after Covid, at a time when the industry was ready to reconnect in person. The name stayed because being together as a creative community matters. A lot.

The 2026 Autumn Needlepoint Reunion at a Glance

The 2026 event runs from Friday, October 2 through Sunday, October 4 at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Dallas Frisco Hotel & Convention Center.

• Friday, October 2: 12:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.
• Saturday, October 3: 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
• Sunday, October 4: 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
• Monday, October 5: Departure and check-out by 11:00 a.m.

According to the 2026 event information, this year’s market includes 125 exhibitors, with 27 brand-new exhibitors joining the show. There are also 218 registered buyers, including 69 new buyers.

Those numbers give you a sense of the scale, but the real story is the variety. ANR brings together established names, emerging designers, specialty suppliers, and independent shops. All with different perspectives on where needlepoint is heading next.

For the latest event details and future dates, visit the official Autumn Needlepoint Reunion website.

What Happens During the Weekend?

The market itself is made up of exhibitor spaces where designers and suppliers display their collections. Retail buyers move through the show, meet with vendors, look closely at new products, and place wholesale orders for their shops.

For a canvas designer, this means preparing a collection that feels cohesive, clear, and ready to be discovered. For a shop owner, it means making thoughtful decisions about what will resonate with their customers, from smaller, approachable projects to detailed statement pieces that stop stitchers in their tracks.

There is plenty of business involved, but ANR is not only about ordering. It is also about relationships.

Designers get to meet the shop owners who help bring their work into local stitching communities. Retailers can speak directly with the people behind the canvases they stock. Industry friends catch up after months apart, compare notes, share ideas, and enjoy the rare luxury of talking about needlepoint with people who understand exactly why choosing a colour palette can become a full afternoon activity.

Why ANR Matters to Needlepoint Shops

For wholesale shop partners, a market like ANR is an opportunity to see many collections in one concentrated visit. Rather than browsing from a distance, buyers can experience the artwork up close, ask questions about the designs, and get a clearer sense of how a collection might fit their customers and their store.

This is particularly valuable in needlepoint, where the quality and character of a canvas matter. A stitcher is not simply buying a picture; they are choosing their next project, their next few hours of creative time, and often something they hope to finish and enjoy for years.

That is why details such as clear painted mapping, balanced colour, canvas quality, and a strong design point of view matter so much. Shops want to stock pieces that are exciting to stitch and straightforward to explain to their customers.

At Ashley Evans Designs, our wholesale collection is available to approved needlepoint shops and retailers. You can learn more about our wholesale terms and ordering information.

A First Look at Ashley Evans Designs at Market

For us, attending ANR as a new exhibitor feels like a meaningful milestone.

Ashley Evans Designs began as a creative escape rooted in colour, playful ideas, and the simple pleasure of making something with your hands. Today, we create modern, joyful hand-painted needlepoint canvases for stitchers who want projects that feel both stylish and personal.

Our canvases are designed for canvas work on stiff, open-grid mono canvas. Unlike cross-stitch, which uses counted X-shaped stitches on fabric, needlepoint is worked with full coverage on canvas using diagonal stitches such as Tent, Continental, or Basketweave. The result is a dense, textured surface that gives each design its own tactile personality.

At ANR, we will be showing our hand-painted canvases to shop owners and buyers who are always looking for fresh work to share with their stitching communities. It is a chance to talk about the inspiration behind the designs, show the clarity of the painted details, and introduce our collection to retailers who may not have encountered us before.

Tradition, With a Fresh Point of View

Needlepoint has a wonderfully rich history, but it is not stuck in the past. The craft continues to evolve as designers experiment with colour, subject matter, scale, and ways of making the stitching experience feel more accessible.

That blend of tradition and innovation is one of the things we love most about the industry. The materials and techniques remain wonderfully tactile and familiar, while the artwork continues to reflect modern life: from expressive pets and colourful fashion to joyful interiors, travel-inspired scenes, and pieces that simply make you smile.

A market like ANR helps move that conversation forward. It gives designers a place to share what they are making, and it gives shops the opportunity to curate collections that feel relevant to the stitchers walking through their doors.

For the modern creative, that can mean finding a project that works with real life: something small enough to take along, detailed enough to stay interesting, and beautiful enough to display when it is finished.

The Reunion Is About More Than the Market

The Autumn Needlepoint Reunion may be a wholesale trade show, but its impact reaches far beyond the hotel in Frisco.

Every order placed at ANR can eventually connect a designer with a local needlepoint shop, and a shop with a stitcher looking for their next project. It supports the friendly, knowledgeable retail communities that make needlepoint feel welcoming, whether someone is picking up a needle for the first time or adding another project to an already impressive stash.

That is the magic of the Reunion. It brings together the people who design, make, sell, teach, finish, and stitch the things we love.

For the 2026 market, Ashley Evans Designs is thrilled to be part of that circle for the first time. We cannot wait to share our hand-painted canvases, meet our wholesale partners, and see what the next chapter of needlepoint looks like: one beautiful canvas at a time.

Future Autumn Needlepoint Reunion dates are October 15–17, 2027 and October 20–22, 2028. To explore our current collection, visit Ashley Evans Designs’ hand-painted needlepoint canvases, or learn more about our story.