This Sprawling Tapestry Recreates the Entirety of 'Games of Thrones' Through Intricate Stitching

You can also explore the massive artwork via an online recreation.
Sarah Ward
Published on July 07, 2019
Updated on July 07, 2019

No matter how you feel about Game of Thrones' polarising eighth and final season, the epic HBO show will always hold a soft spot in many pop culture fans' hearts. It'll also always adorn a lengthy tapestry that's currently on display in Northern Ireland. In fact, the detailed piece of fabric has embroidered all of the show's ups and downs onto a massive, 90-metre-long artwork.

Simply called the Game of Thrones Tapestry, the piece was inspired by the famous 11th-century Bayeux Tapestry — and while it has called the Ulster Museum in Belfast home since mid 2017, it'll head to Normandy to be displayed alongside its counterpart from September this year. Originally, the cloth reached more than 80 metres in length; however it has recently increased in size for a very important and obvious reason: to add the events of GoT's last season.

Along the fabric's huge expanse, dragons, battles and blood sit side-by-side with well-known characters and lines of dialogue. Yes, "winter is coming" is one of them. If you've ever wanted to see Jon Snow in stitchery, the Iron Throne get a linen makeover, revisit Ned Stark's demise in cotton or get a completely different look at all of the series' standouts scenes, this is your chance. Daenerys' fiery rebirth, the Red wedding, the Night King's frosty reign, Hodor's touching end, the Battle of the Bastards and plenty of other deaths, fights, frays and phrases all feature, with the show's first first seven seasons all averaging around 10–13 metres of coverage each.

If you can't make it to either Northern Ireland or France to see the intricate piece with your own eyes, you can peruse an online version — although, at the time of writing, it hasn't been updated to include the eighth season as yet.

Designed by hand, employing a machine to do much of the weaving, and then embroidered by a team of 30 stitchers, the tapestry doesn't just celebrate the show that kept people talking. In addition, it uses fabric from Ferguson's Irish Linen, it commemorates one of the last surviving linen mills in Northern Ireland.

Much of the series was filmed in the area, and a new museum will also pop up there soon — which is great to know if you're not ready to say goodbye to GoT just yet, can't wait for George RR Martin's long-awaited next book to finally drop, and are biding your time until the TV spinoffs and prequels come to fruition.

The Game of Thrones Tapestry is on display at the Ulster Museum in Belfast until July 28, 2019, before moving to the Hôtel du Doyen in Bayeux, Normandy, France from September 2019.

Images: Game of Thrones Tapestry.

Published on July 07, 2019 by Sarah Ward
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