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Plant pot cover with your own pattern

Build a removable PLA pot cover with two hoops, eight open ribs and four diamond lattice panels. The gaps reveal the colour of the pot, while four open bays make it easy to grip. The model measures approximately 12 × 12 × 12 cm; the pot and its watertight saucer stand directly on the surface inside the cover.

Age
8–12 years
Length
approx. 4 h
Level
Medium
Where you teach
Home
Purpose
Creative
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How to run this session

Stages and timing
  1. Bottom hoop
  2. Second hoop
  3. Eight ribs
  4. Four supporting ribs
  5. Remaining four ribs
  6. Completing the frame
  7. Four panels with your own pattern
  8. Two opposite panels
  9. Remaining panels and finished cover

What gets built

Change the appearance of a small plant pot with a three-dimensional surround.

What it practises
  • Measuring clearance, repeating a profile, positioning ribs and welding a three-dimensional frame.
  • Designing a repeating open pattern while preserving a clear opening and stable support.

Success criteria
  • The cool cover rests with its entire bottom hoop on a flat surface and does not rock when touched lightly from four sides.
  • The pot and saucer lower through the top opening under their own weight, without forcing. Check the clearance with a paper strip beside the narrowest panels.
  • The cover can be lifted off without moving the pot; no filament ends catch on its rim. Do not lift the pot by the cover.
  • The cover is a decoration, not a watertight container. Water stays in the pot and saucer; keep PLA away from heaters and windowsills that become very hot.

What you need
Filament
PLA
Colours
colour shown in the illustration
Also
3D pen for PLA: 1 item; PLA filament with a diameter of 1.75 mm in one chosen colour, in the quantity shown in the calculated equipment list., Silicone mat for a 3D pen: 1 unit, at least 30 × 40 cm; heat-resistant assembly mat: 1 unit, at least 20 × 20 cm., Pot with a watertight saucer: 1 set; maximum overall diameter 100 mm and maximum height 115 mm., Ruler, 30 cm: 1 unit; paper strip, 2 × 40 cm: 1 unit; pencil: 1 unit., Template printouts at 100% scale: 3 A4 sheets; paper for your own pattern variation: 1 A4 sheet., Masking tape: approximately 50 cm to secure printouts and supports; card: 1 A4 sheet for two temporary 5 × 5 × 12 cm angle supports; scissors: 1 pair.

Files

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Version 0d0dc981-9778-42e2-8c04-703fcf0ba7b4 Updated 2026-10-11

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