Content Warning: This section contains descriptions of racism, racial violence, enslavement, lynching, sexual assault, graphic wartime violence, antisemitism, and the death of a child. This guide quotes and obscures the author’s use of the n-word.

Stella is one of the primary characters of The Thread Collectors. She is a biracial woman, the daughter of Janie and Janie’s former enslaver, Percy. Due to her beauty, lighter skin tone, and status as the child of a powerful white man, Stella is granted a few social advantages. Rather than working on a plantation, she is kept as a mistress by Mason Frye. Stella begins the novel as a reserved woman who relies on her sister, Ammanee, for advocacy and protection.

Stella is a talented seamstress. At the start of the novel, she embroiders small, symbolic talismans of protection and hope, like the handkerchief she gives to William before his escape. As the narrative progresses, Stella adapts her talent to stitch maps of escape routes for enslaved men and sell embroidered handkerchiefs to Union soldiers. This practice strengthens her ties with the community of Black women in New Orleans and builds her self-confidence.

Stella’s arrangement with Frye robs her of her autonomy, and he sexually assaults her when he begins their relationship.