The Tri-Cities area is home to many artists, authors, and artisans. 

Meet Cara Buono, clothing designer, patternmaker, and teacher. She turns recycled clothing into art and helps others learn to do that, too — which is how she built an avid patternmaking and clothing design community at Fine Line Creative Arts Center in St. Charles. 

Cara Buono’s parents, an artist and both teachers, taught her how important it was to be good at craft and technique. She began her sewing career at 12 years old. Her first job involved working with master tailors at 15, and she earned an M.S. Degree from NIU in Textile and Apparel Design. 

After touring with a dance company for nine months as the costume designer/supervisor, she worked for Fitigues, a Chicago-based clothing design house, as a patternmaker and began teaching sewing, patternmaking and design courses at The International Academy of Merchandising and Design and the Illinois Institute of Art Chicago. Her work evolved from more tailored designs to her less structured one-of-a-kind pieces today. 

Making sure that she is always glorifying God, whether it is an alteration, a pattern, a wedding gown, a lesson in the classroom, a presentation, or a new design, is what forms her creative process. 

The 23 bins RE-scued Collection follows the process of finding, washing and making garments from materials and clothing that have been cast aside and/or resold. Her newest line, the RE-scued Collection-26, is being made using parachutes from the 60’s and 70’s along with other recycled fabrics. 

She likes to work on multiple projects simultaneously, letting her mind process as she explores her materials. 

Buono prays and thinks A LOT! “I look at my inspiration boards, I pour myself into one of the other areas of work I have, I go back to original ideas that I have worked with before. I really don’t stay in a place of being ‘blocked’ for very long.”

“I suppose by how many people I reach. Am I touching, moving and inspiring people through my work on a consistent basis?” Buono said. “Am I communicating my purpose and passion in a way that magnifies God?  These are questions I ask myself often…keeping myself accountable and in community.”

You can see examples of her work on her Facebook page. You can also book an appointment to buy or commission work at 23 bins home studio in St. Charles. Bazyili Studio in Baileys Harbor, WI, carries her work April through October, and she opens her studio during the June Fox River Arts Ramble in the Fox Valley.

Buono’s advice for aspiring artists: “Don’t limit yourself to only what you think you can do or what you believe others are expecting of you. Do the work of finding out what your gifts and talents are and use them with abandon!”

This piece was written by Ellen Jo Ljung, a longtime Geneva resident, author, award-winning educator, and arts enthusiast. Visit her website to learn more.

Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] with questions or comments.

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