From California to Northern Ireland and Massachusetts to New Zealand, the Ohio Star shines on Ames.

A traveling quilt exhibit from the Museum of the American Quilter’s Society, “Ohio Star: New Quilts from an Old Favorite,” is on display at The Octagon Center for the Arts.

Although the theme of this year’s exhibit is the “Ohio Star,” there is a “huge variety of different kinds of quilts,” said Linda Swan, curatorial and public relations director at the Octagon.

The quilts feature a “complete range of artistic abilities,” Swan said. From these different backgrounds come different styles of contemporary, whimsical and traditional quilts.

The exhibit is an end result of an annual international contest that invites quilters to make “innovative” quilts inspired by a selected traditional quilt pattern. Eighteen winners were chosen from many entries, with five award winners.

“Crystal Star,” quilted by Izumi Takamoria of Tokyo, Japan, was this year’s first place winner.

Swan described the quilt as “blue and white with a three-dimensional look” because of the different materials and embroidery used on the quilt.

The second place winner featured a more traditional “tea-dyed” quilt. This technique consists of dying fabric in actual tea to give a more traditional and antique look to the quilt.

Fish, birds and waves completed the motif of “Something Fishy,” quilted by Nancy Brown from Oakland, Calif., and received fifth place.

Swan said each quilt has a story behind it.

One quilt was crafted by a mother whose daughter had just gone off to college.

To avoid the “empty-nest syndrome,” she began quilting and ended up participating in the event.

The quilts range in size from 50″ x 50″ to 88″ x 88″.

These quilts are “not to cover up with,” Swan said. They are “quilts as art,” and the artists were “not thinking of comfort” while making them.

The “Ohio Star” quilt exhibition will be open until Nov. 2 at the Octagon Center for the Arts in downtown Ames. Admission is free.