Abbie studied woodcarving and gilding at the City & Guilds School of Art and is known for her portrait carving of the late Sir Roger Cork, former Lord Mayor of London. After studying Abbie became the artist-in-residence for the museum battleship cruiser HMS Belfast where she had use of a studio onboard the ship for five years. Abbie's unusual carving career gained wide media interest and the rare title of Britain's only female ships' figurehead carver. In 2002 TV personality Lloyd Grossman and Captain Warwick of the QE2 were amongst the celebrities who unveiled sculptures at her Figurehead Festival onboard HMS Belfast. The event was also featured on GMTV.