Lienie graduated with a BA (FA) Information Design degree from the University of Pretoria in 1988. Since 1988 she has worked as graphic designer, public relations practitioner and as lecturer. She has presented art classes and got involved in many forms of art.
Her love for and keen interest in natural textiles, dyes, handwork, and subversive stitching developed over a long period and she took a series of master classes to expand her knowledge and skills of textile art. Since 2014 she has been practising textile art full time, working towards a sometimes complex narrative. For Lienie the complexity of the media fascinates her because the concept, the journey and end result are never the same. Sometimes she incorporates old/antique crochet and embroidery pieces.