diff --git a/py/modthread.c b/py/modthread.c
index 5d01fe601c64b999bea857f453e39e600e9498e3..8135a5e88cafa1c3bc7d2efc9116b4cdd85c7c4e 100644
--- a/py/modthread.c
+++ b/py/modthread.c
@@ -45,11 +45,24 @@
 /****************************************************************/
 // _thread module
 
+STATIC size_t thread_stack_size = 0;
+
 STATIC mp_obj_t mod_thread_get_ident(void) {
     return mp_obj_new_int_from_uint((uintptr_t)mp_thread_get_state());
 }
 STATIC MP_DEFINE_CONST_FUN_OBJ_0(mod_thread_get_ident_obj, mod_thread_get_ident);
 
+STATIC mp_obj_t mod_thread_stack_size(size_t n_args, const mp_obj_t *args) {
+    mp_obj_t ret = mp_obj_new_int_from_uint(thread_stack_size);
+    if (n_args == 0) {
+        thread_stack_size = 0;
+    } else {
+        thread_stack_size = mp_obj_get_int(args[0]);
+    }
+    return ret;
+}
+STATIC MP_DEFINE_CONST_FUN_OBJ_VAR_BETWEEN(mod_thread_stack_size_obj, 0, 1, mod_thread_stack_size);
+
 typedef struct _thread_entry_args_t {
     mp_obj_t fun;
     size_t n_args;
@@ -126,8 +139,7 @@ STATIC mp_obj_t mod_thread_start_new_thread(size_t n_args, const mp_obj_t *args)
         }
         th_args->args = all_args;
     }
-    // TODO implement setting thread stack size
-    mp_thread_create(thread_entry, th_args);
+    mp_thread_create(thread_entry, th_args, thread_stack_size);
     return mp_const_none;
 }
 STATIC MP_DEFINE_CONST_FUN_OBJ_VAR_BETWEEN(mod_thread_start_new_thread_obj, 2, 3, mod_thread_start_new_thread);
@@ -135,6 +147,7 @@ STATIC MP_DEFINE_CONST_FUN_OBJ_VAR_BETWEEN(mod_thread_start_new_thread_obj, 2, 3
 STATIC const mp_rom_map_elem_t mp_module_thread_globals_table[] = {
     { MP_ROM_QSTR(MP_QSTR___name__), MP_ROM_QSTR(MP_QSTR__thread) },
     { MP_ROM_QSTR(MP_QSTR_get_ident), MP_ROM_PTR(&mod_thread_get_ident_obj) },
+    { MP_ROM_QSTR(MP_QSTR_stack_size), MP_ROM_PTR(&mod_thread_stack_size_obj) },
     { MP_ROM_QSTR(MP_QSTR_start_new_thread), MP_ROM_PTR(&mod_thread_start_new_thread_obj) },
 };
 
diff --git a/py/mpthread.h b/py/mpthread.h
index 6c6de7988610c37a24ecde07b8d472fbcccd9e0a..bbf27da50d79ed7f7d782d9d0ca1b55364b4addc 100644
--- a/py/mpthread.h
+++ b/py/mpthread.h
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@
 
 mp_state_thread_t *mp_thread_get_state(void);
 void mp_thread_set_state(void *state);
-void mp_thread_create(void *(*entry)(void*), void *arg);
+void mp_thread_create(void *(*entry)(void*), void *arg, size_t stack_size);
 
 #endif // MICROPY_PY_THREAD
 
diff --git a/unix/mpthreadport.c b/unix/mpthreadport.c
index af75be1aa179470f2fac292e7bed4db5238bea3c..73e08dcb8679a8572a55814ca2116e79c980a0c4 100644
--- a/unix/mpthreadport.c
+++ b/unix/mpthreadport.c
@@ -46,9 +46,34 @@ void mp_thread_set_state(void *state) {
     pthread_setspecific(tls_key, state);
 }
 
-void mp_thread_create(void *(*entry)(void*), void *arg) {
+void mp_thread_create(void *(*entry)(void*), void *arg, size_t stack_size) {
+    // default stack size is 8k machine-words
+    if (stack_size == 0) {
+        stack_size = 8192 * BYTES_PER_WORD;
+    }
+
+    // set thread attributes
+    pthread_attr_t attr;
+    int ret = pthread_attr_init(&attr);
+    if (ret != 0) {
+        goto er;
+    }
+    ret = pthread_attr_setstacksize(&attr, stack_size);
+    if (ret != 0) {
+        goto er;
+    }
+
+    // create thread
     pthread_t id;
-    pthread_create(&id, NULL, entry, arg);
+    ret = pthread_create(&id, &attr, entry, arg);
+    if (ret != 0) {
+        goto er;
+    }
+
+    return;
+
+er:
+    nlr_raise(mp_obj_new_exception_arg1(&mp_type_OSError, MP_OBJ_NEW_SMALL_INT(ret)));
 }
 
 #endif // MICROPY_PY_THREAD