A teacher through and through, with fabric in her veins and creativity stitched into everything she does.

Iessie has been teaching since 1990 and spent twenty years as a Lecturer in Clothing and Fashion Design at the Faculty of Humanities at the Central University of Technology in Bloemfontein. Trained in fashion design, she designs and sews her own clothing and happily jumps between quilting, knitting, crochet, weaving, and just about any textile that crosses her path. If it involves thread, texture, or a bit of creative problem-solving, Iessie is in.

She’s been “playing with cloth” since childhood, and that playful curiosity is still very much alive. In 2014, she completed the SAQG Accredited Teacher course, adding even more tools to her already impressive teaching kit. Whether she’s teaching solid quilting basics or mixing techniques into something a little more arty, Iessie loves helping students discover what’s possible — and encouraging them to try.

Iessie offers monthly quilting and crochet classes, both in person and online, and is a much-loved travelling quilt teacher. Her classes are known for being informative, welcoming, and filled with fun and laughter. She teaches from the heart and soul, creating a space where learning feels joyful and confidence grows stitch by stitch.

Her teaching philosophy is refreshingly simple:

Try to finish it.
Make it as neat as possible!

These words also reflect how she lives her life:

“Live a legacy to leave a legacy.”

Because a finished quilt — like a life well lived — tells a story worth keeping.