A resilient hand-held abrasive article includes a flexible conformable backing layer having opposed first and second major surfaces, a flexible reinforcing layer affixed to at least one of the backing layer first and second major surfaces, and abrasive particles arranged on the reinforcing layer, thereby defining an abrasive surface. The backing layer comprises a multiplicity of separated resilient bodies connected to each other in a generally planar array in a pattern that provides open spaces between adjacent connected bodies.