How Lady Dye Yarns Wove Craftivism into a Thriving WooCommerce Business

Crafting a new path with hand-dyed yarn

When Diane Ivey suddenly left her nonprofit role in 2011, she turned to a hobby she had carried for years — dyeing yarn inspired by graffiti art. Weekends became studio sessions. Early on, she sold small batches to a handful of yarn shops while juggling part-time consulting for art nonprofits. She joined business accelerator programs to sharpen her entrepreneur skills. By the time she was ready for a digital presence, she knew exactly what she needed: a site that could scale and flex as her vision grew.

Introducing craftivism and sparking change

In 2014, Diane attended a major trade show and realized she was one of the very few Black vendors among hundreds. That moment sent her back to the drawing board. Her blog post about that gap in representation felt risky but sparked a conversation in the crafting world. Diane named her approach craftivism — mixing art, activism and crafting. She began highlighting challenges facing BIPOC makers and partnered with other underrepresented entrepreneurs, embedding that purpose into her products and clubs.

The power of subscription kits

After joining a clothing membership service, Diane saw how a subscription model could work for yarn and craft supplies. In 2018 she launched her first themed pop-culture kit, bundling her yarn with artifacts from BIPOC vendors and shipped out 73 boxes in that first run. The response was strong. Repeat orders from bigger clients like Knit Stars helped her secure office space and a team. Soon 95% of her collaborative clubs featured products from BIPOC-owned businesses, turning Lady Dye Yarns into a bridge between creators and makers.

Scaling through repeat business

One of the biggest lessons Diane learned was that one-time sales are great, but recurring revenue fuels stability. She forged a year-long partnership with major craft corporations, placing orders upwards of $50,000. That reliability underpinned her ability to hire staff and secure an office. Now, most of her collaborations are structured around subscription clubs that guarantee monthly orders. That predictability allowed her to invest back into BIPOC-owned supply chains and create jobs within her community.

Choosing technology that grows with you

WooCommerce and WordPress formed the backbone of the operation. From the first lines of code to adding new features, Diane made sure every tool integrated with her site. She switched to Square payments when other processors felt clunky, enjoying simple pricing and the ability to tap into micro loans that recouped automatically. Adding Apple Pay cut checkout friction, ensuring hot-ticket items sold out in minutes. For email campaigns, she turned to Klaviyo, tracking every order driven by each newsletter send.

Building community on social channels

Instagram proved to be the place where craft meets activism in real time, she had to adjust her posting schedule quickly. In early 2020, posts about inclusion and diversity caught fire, drawing thousands of new followers in weeks. Today Diane collaborates on content several times a month with artists and makers, using the channel to shine a light on emerging talent and to announce new kit drops. With 20,000 followers and counting, it’s become a direct line to her tribe of supporters.

Email as a conversation space

When social platforms can get toxic, Diane leaned into email to keep the discussion focused. Klaviyo’s analytics show a 50% click rate on her newsletters — far above industry benchmarks. Each send drives thousands in revenue and sparks positive talks about equity in crafting. It’s clear her audience is hungry for thoughtful conversation without the noise of social feeds. It’s a strategy she still fine-tunes, adding new segments and automations to keep content fresh.

Planning for the future

Diane isn’t just thinking about next quarter. She’s looking at five, even twenty years out. By teaching and mentoring BIPOC entrepreneurs, she helps them claim a spot in the crafting market. On her roadmap: expanding the subscription model, building new partnerships, and finding ways to support supply chain equity. Every new tool or club is evaluated against that long-range plan, ensuring Lady Dye Yarns remain a force for change in the crafting world.