A flock of hens in watercolor, walking across a flour sack towel: a rust brown hen, a black and white speckled one, and pale ghost hens behind them so the pattern has depth instead of a repeat. Emily Lex painted them herself, and the printing keeps the soft edges of the original brushwork rather than flattening them into a graphic.

100 percent cotton flour sack, 19 by 28 inches, with a loop sewn on for hanging. Flour sack cotton is the weave that actually dries a glass without leaving lint, and it gets softer every wash. Use it for drying up, for lining a bread basket, for wrapping a warm loaf to take somewhere, or leave it hanging on the oven door because it is the nicest thing in the kitchen. A safe present for anyone who keeps chickens, and a good one for anyone who wishes they did.