OUTSIDE, daisies dance and cornflowers bloom. Inside, they come to life again under the sure hands of Sarah Becvar, her fingers lightly swirling a piece of linen under the drumming needle of her sewing machine. On the walls of her garden studio hang dried bunches of flowers and watercolour sketches, jars of flowers stand next to a kettle and books of wild- flowers line the shelves. At one end of the airy, white-painted space is a large work table, at the other is the all-important sewing machine. Tucked away in rural East Sussex with her three friendly golden retrievers curled up nearby, Mrs Becvar embroiders the wildflowers of the surrounding meadows freehand, her needle acting as a paintbrush.
Growing up on her family’s dairy farm half a mile up the road, now mainly arable and run under regenerative lines by her brother, Anthony, the young artist roamed the countryside, learning the different flowers— cuckooflower, bluebells, cow parsley—and taking them home to draw. Her family was supportive of her creative bent: her mother had studied interior design and her paternal grandmother, who lived on the farm, was a formative influence. ‘She loved embroidery and crochet and never threw anything away.’ In the studio reside tall jars of buttons her grandmother collected, each tiny piece telling a story. ‘It was she who taught me that a weed is only a weed if it’s growing in a place you don’t want it to and to let the wildflowers grow, just as we’re encouraged to do now.’
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 30, 2023-Ausgabe von Country Life UK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 30, 2023-Ausgabe von Country Life UK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery