Tapestry depicts “Game of Thrones”

It looks like a textile dating back centuries. But upon a closer look, a detailed tapestry tells the tale of “Game of Thrones^®,” one of the most popular television shows of all time. The tapestry was designed as part of a Tourism Ireland campaign, created in partnership with HBO, and launched during the show’s seventh season to give fans the opportunity to experience their favorite scenes from the show all year long.

Installed at the Ulster Museum, the Bayeux-style tapestry colorfully depicts the trials and tribulations of the show’s characters in its most famous scenes, allowing visitors to relive the story from Season 1 to Season 7. There are blood-red weddings, gold Lannister hair, emerald green wildfire, cold blue White Walkers and more. Fans can spot hidden cameos of famous faces who have appeared on the show.

Woven from linen supplied by Thomas Ferguson, one of the last surviving linen mills in Northern Ireland, the original tapestry depicting the first six seasons was 216 feet long. As Season 7 progressed, new sections were added to the tapestry with each episode, capturing key events. The completed tapestry measures 252 feet.

While a traditional medieval wall hanging could be expected to take up to 20 years to complete, the original portion of this one was created in less than three months. Hand illustrations were recreated digitally and the weaving guide and color palettes were mapped out for each scene, then woven on a state-of-the-art jacquard loom and hand-finished by 30 stitchers. For more information, visit www.tourismni.com.