Hi there! I’m Jess Abbott, owner and editor of The Sewing Rabbit. Growing up my nickname was Jessica Rabbit. Little did I know that when I met my husband, my name would literally become Jessica R. Abbott, and the Sewing Rabbit was born.
First of all, welcome! I am so happy you are here. Let me tell you a little bit about my site… The Sewing Rabbit is a blog that focuses on sewing and shining a light on the handmade community. With the help of some amazing contributors, we strive to bring fresh content weekly by publishing new sewing DIYs, magazine spreads, articles, interviews, round ups, trends, and more for our DIY focused female readers. Whether we make you laugh or get your brain thinking of your next DIY to try, we work hard to always keep the blog modern, fun, and exciting. So that every time you return you will find something new! Work on The Sewing Rabbit has been featured by The Huffington Post, RedBook Magazine, HGTV, DIY Network, Threads Magazine, Sew Magazine, Apartment Therapy, and more. And Jess Abbott has also partnered with companies such as Disney’s Babble, Jo-Ann Fabric & Craft Stores, Staples, McCalls Vogue, Bernina, the DIY Network, eHow, Janome, Ottobre, and more.
I am currently a writer for:
And am also co-editor in chief of STYLO Magazine. Only the coolest kids sewing magazine ever.
For questions or inquiries, please email me at sewswet(at)gmail.com.
THE SEWING RABBIT IN THE PRESS:
The Huffington Post, Redbook Magazine, Jo-Ann Fabric & Craft Stores, DIY Network, HGTV Crafternoon TV Show, Bernina, Haute Handbags Magazine, Sew Magazine, KiX Cereal, Today’s Parent, Apartment Therapy, Threads Magazine, Coats & Clark, Made & Remade
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
How long have you been sewing? I have been embroidering for as long as I can remember. As a little girl, my Mom would take me to the craft store to pick out embroidery floss for all of my cross stitch projects. It wasn’t until I moved to Germany 8 years ago that I learned how to sew on a sewing machine. I taught myself to sew one Burda pattern at a time, deciphering my way through the foreign language. Google was my friend. Since then it has become an intense passion of mine. When I go for long periods without sewing, I start to walk around and mutter to myself. Its not pretty.
What was the first project you ever sewed? In middle school I took a Home Ec class and had to sew myself some sweatpants. When the assignment was finished and I tried on my finished product, they were more like tights. The worst part was that I was forced to wear them around for the entire class so that I could be graded on it. Ahhh….the fun pre-teen years in life. Good times. I still laugh when I think about it.
How do you do it all? Blog, sew, raise a family? I don’t. My blog is my business, and I devote many hours each week to it and treat it as such. My children are in school (some full time, some still in Preschool), and I also hire a babysitter who watches my children throughout the week so that I can get stuff done. I have help. LOTS of it. And I have a husband who fully supports my venture. I couldn’t do it without him backing me. I love what I do, you need to love it in order to take on the crazy life that blogging brings. The other thing I rely on? ORGANIZATION. I have lists upon lists upon lists. My lists have lists. Paper lists, electronic lists, sticky note lists. I am kind of crazy like that. But if its not written down, its not getting done.
What sewing machine do you use? As a Bernina ‘sewing expert’, I have (2) Bernina machines that I love dearly. The 350 PE, and the B 580. Both are simply incredibly. The 350 is good for more every day use, and the 580 has every day use AND awesome embroidery features. Just wait til you try them. As for my serger? I have a Brother 1034d which is very easy to use, and extremely affordable for a good entry level machine. All are highly recommended.
What’s up with the new Food section on your site? In my pre-kids life, I was the Event Director for the James Beard Foundation Celebrity Chef Tour. What that means is…I ran the entire tour for these AMEX sponsored corporate events, and got to travel around the country eating amazing food with the best chefs on this planet. I still love event planning, and who doesn’t love good food? Its in my blood. My favorite was when Tim Love ran a cattle drive from Texas to Los Angeles, culminating in the big dinner event. Talk about COOL. Or meeting Michael Lomonaco – one of the absolute nicest chefs around.
What did you do before sewing / blogging? As mentioned previously, I was in Corporate Events. I lived in New York City. Pre-Celebrity Chef Tour, I worked on Broadway managing the VIP tickets for the top Broadway shows. I also worked for a top investment banking firm running their corporate tickets, handling the US Open box or getting clients tickets to the top events around the world. I’ve been a barista in about a million coffee shops. And before that, I was a child actress going to auditions in NYC with my Mom. Needless to say, I have been to a lot of awesome events, met a lot of celebrities, can make a killer cappuccino, and can run an event like a BOSS. I have an insane work ethic that keeps me always wanting to do my best. But NONE of it compares to what I do now, raising 3 incredible children who give me indescribable joy while sewing for a living.
Are you mormon? You laugh, but I get this question a lot. Although there are a lot of mormon DIY bloggers – No, I am not a mormon. I am a born again Christian, and love Jesus with all of my heart.
Can I sell products made from your tutorials? Of course!!! Any way to help another person generate income for their family is awesome. Let’s stay away from mass production though, if you wouldn’t mind. Contact me if you would like to work together!
Can I feature your tutorial or images on my site? Yes, I would consider it a great honor. Please link back to the direct post (not the homepage), and please don’t post the full instructions on your site. Feel free to use one or two photos from the article for feature.
How do I get featured, or become a writer for your team? E-mail me at sewingrabbit(at)gmx.com! I am always looking for new talent, or to feature awesome projects.
I am looking for a certain project… You can easily look through the DIY Menu tab along the top for an article. It has numerous submenus to help narrow down your results. Or simply type in the ‘search’ box on the top right hand section of the page. The search box works great if you happen to know exactly what you are looking for! But before you jump away, are you looking for one of these? (See below)
So you wanna know whats popular…
Top 10 Blog posts of 2015:
- How to ice dye
- 10 sewing tips that changed my life
- 21 things to make with tulle besides tutus
- 10 best ugly Christmas sweaters
- Running belt DIY
- How to take in a jeans waist
- End wavy knit seam syndrome
- 10 modern sewing patterns that flatter women
- Fabric shops you oughta know
- Side button sweater DIY
Thanks so much for stopping by, I am glad you are here!
I hope to get to know you more.
