Slow Spots to Make and Mend Across Canberra
Updated 10 Sep 2026
Ahead of Craft & Design Canberra Festival (5-15 November) Rosalie Rose, local textile artist, shares her guide on where in Canberra to slow down, an homage to this years theme of 'dissent'.
“I am a local textile artist. Many places around Canberra conjure inspiration for me or provide peaceful spaces where I can sit and stitch. Here are some of my favourite places.”
Dogs are allowed off lead so Honey, my two year old Golden Retriever and I, love it. Stitching by the water or on the lawns under the casuarina trees is a reset to the nervous system.
Lake Ginninderra
I often walk here with Honey. I particularly love the bike path stretch from the dog park round to Diddams Close. Cockatoos sometimes drop their crest feathers here. On lucky days, I have found a few and have used them to adorn slow stitched talismans.
Even if it isn’t open yet on my early morning walk, I love to stop to look at the Window Gallery. The current exhibition “Where the Light Dances” is particularly inspiring to my work: eco printing with leaves found in the local area.
Having a cuppa out the back of the gallery and café with a view to the mountains is a literal breath of fresh air.
The pine forest lets me drift between the market bustle and the quiet shade. My children can wander the stalls and enjoy the market, while the park is perfect for Honey to sniff and play. I’ve even found a stall, One Wild Bird, selling eco-printed goods and off-cuts of beautifully dyed wool that are perfect for making talismans.
Gang Gang Café
I stitched half a snake here once. Endless chai and Basque cheese cake make it a haven for slow stitching.
My Rainbow Dreams
I love this vegetarian café in Dickson. It is a dreamy yet grounding place to stitch and journal.
Drunken Tiger
I have lived in Canberra of 37 years and Drunken Tiger laksa at Melba shops is the best laksa in town. In the warmer weather, I take my stitching while I wait for my order. The 90s hip hop they blast from the little shop window makes a vibe worth stitching for.
The Crafty Frog
Although I live in Belconnen, it is well worth the drive to Kambah to pick up supplies from The Craft Frog. The selection of embroidery thread is huge with the hand dyed threads being my favourite.
The Treasury at Craft + Design Canberra
Supporting local artists and buying quality gifts is a win-win situation.
Kimo-Yes
Visiting this shop is an experience in itself. The antique Japanese fabrics and sashiko threads are what draws me back.
“As part of the Craft and Design Canberra Festival in November, I will be launching my Slow Stitched Talisman Workshop. In a fast-paced, mass-produced world, this 2.5-hour workshop honours slow stitching as a contemporary craft, using reclaimed natural fabrics like linen, silk and cotton scraps to hand stitch protective talismans. Participants will create small fabric forms imbued with dried flowers and tiny handwritten messages. This workshop is designed to create time and space for people to slow down, return to themselves and create their own talisman. The sole purpose of these talismans are to symbolise the importance of intention, creativity and slower moments. This will be a reclamation of time and imperfection, layering simple hand stitches for texture and mindful dissent against disposability of both resources and intentions.”
Learn more about the Craft and Design Canberra Festival and take part in workshops, events and more.
