Patent ID: 8601738

Claim:
A method of decoratively covering a pot, comprising the steps of: forming a flower pot cover from a sheet of material using an apparatus, the preformed flower pot cover comprising a base having an open upper end, a lower end, and an object opening shaped and sized to receive a flower pot, the preformed flower pot cover further comprising a skirt extending at an angle upwardly and outwardly from the open upper end of the base and at least one indented portion for retaining the flower pot cover about a flower pot, the at least one indented portion located between the base and the skirt and extending inwardly into a portion of the object opening of the base prior to disposing the flower pot within the preformed flower pot cover, and wherein the apparatus for forming the flower pot cover comprises: a female die having an upper end, a lower end, and an opening intersecting the upper end and extending a distance toward the lower end forming an inner female die surface, the female die having a plurality of fingers movable radially into the opening; and a male die having an upper end, a lower end, and an outer male die surface extending a distance generally between the lower end and the upper end of the male die, the male die shaped such that at least a portion of the male die is receivable in the opening of the female die, the male die and the female die movable relative to one another between a discharge position wherein the male die is removed from the opening of the female die such that the sheet of material is positionable between the male die and the female die and a forming position wherein at least a portion of the male die is disposed in the opening of the female die so as to form the flower pot cover from the sheet of material positioned between the male die and the female die, the male die having a recess formed between the lower end and the upper end of the female die and adapted to receive the fingers of the female die to form the at least one indented portion of the flower pot when the sheet of material is pressed between the female die and the male die; disposing a flower pot having an upper rim into the object opening of the preformed flower pot cover, wherein the upper rim of the flower pot is disposed below the upper end of the base of the preformed flower pot cover; and wherein the at least one indented portion extends inwardly into the object opening a distance sufficient to extend over the upper rim of the flower pot, thereby retaining the preformed flower pot cover on the flower pot.