Game of Thrones – The Embroidery of Michele Carragher

I’ve been a fan of HBO’s Game of Thrones for many years and have taken a keen interest in the show’s costumes. I knew very little about the creative mind behind them until I stumbled upon an opportunity to meet London based Michele Carragher, the Embroiderer on a Game of Thrones.

Specialising in hand embroidery and surface design, her work is breath taking. She layers detail on detail, bead work, fabric painting, brocade, thread, applique and then adds textile manipulation to create exquisite pieces of art.

Game of Thrones - Michele Carragher
Michele Carragher

Game of Thrones – House Stark

Michele’s embroidery is incorporated into garments, cloaks in addition to the  iconic collars from Game of Thrones.
Game of Thrones Embroidered Collar
Game of Thrones Embroidered Collar
Game of Thrones Embroidered Collar
A large piece of cloth is stitched with lots of hand embroidery before being cut away and assembled into a finished collar.
Game of Thrones Embroidered Collar
Game of Thrones Embroidered Collar
Each collar has it’s own emblem. The Fish Crest from House Stark is embellished on this piece.
Game of Thrones Embroidered Collar
Game of Thrones Embroidered Collar

Markmaking

Michele’s work also utilises techniques and skills gained whist working in textile restoration.
The starting point for the following designs is lightweight organza and muslin fabrics. Hand drawn lines mark the way ready for the application of embroidery and bead work.  The finished garment is then layered  and appliqued with the cut away designs.
Game of Thrones Embroidery
This embroidery appears on the dress of  Myrcella Baratheon in Season 5
Game of Thrones Embroidery

Embroidery Short Cuts

Patterned and pre-embellished fabrics, lace and brocades are used as a starting point for some of her pieces.  Michele explained that this is sometimes taken as a shortcut for selected garments which are unlikely be seen up close on camera.  Each fabric is further embellished with even more bead work and embroidery.
Game of Thrones Embroidery

Daenerys Targaryen

Each character has  garments themed around their own personality. This includes the choice of  colour and the type of technique used to create the design. This piece was made for Daenerys Targaryen and includes her iconic Dragon scales.
Game of Thrones Embroidery
Game of Thrones Embroidery

Game of Thrones and the White Walker

If you’ve enjoyed this gorgeous Stitchery and want to see more embroidery from Game of Thrones, check out Michele’s website.
There’s also a detailed blog post about the White Walker and the Hardhome Embroidery.

*** Update: There’s a new book available, all about the stunning Game of Thrones Costumes from Season 1 through to Season 8 !

Game of Thrones: The Costumes: The official costume design book of Season 1 to Season 8 Book

Knitting & Stitching Show at Olympia – How to Braid.

The Knitting & Stitching Show is full of such wonderful crafty people.

A very talented lady from the Braidmaker’s Workshop was kind enough to demonstrate how to use a heddle to make the most wonderful braids – they design and sell the heddle themselves.

Braiding

The braids can be sewn together to make larger unique and robust pieces of cloth. All goodies for making the braids are available from their website. Continue reading “Knitting & Stitching Show at Olympia – How to Braid.”