$35.00
Long ago, the rhythm of the average American housewife's life was fairly standard no matter where you went. Each day had its own task, and so the work got done in a logical, orderly fashion as the week progressed. It went something like this.
Monday: Wash Day
Tuesday: Ironing Day
Wednesday: Sewing Day
Thursday: Market Day
Friday: Cleaning Day
Saturday: Baking Day
Sunday: Day of Rest
With a few variations (some folks had a gardening day instead of a separate ironing day, or the days were not quite in this order), this is the way everyone kept house for more than 100 years. It was such a common scheme that day-of-the-week dishtowels embroidered with that day's chore were everywhere. (You can still get Aunt Martha iron-on embroidery or paint transfers with this scheme.)
There was logic behind the order. Laundry was far and away the heaviest task a housewife faced, requiring a great deal of strength and fortitude to hand-wring clothes and carry big baskets of wet laundry to the clothesline from the basement washtubs. Monday was the day to do it, when you were still fresh and rested from Sunday. Tuesday's ironing followed Monday's wash. Mending and sewing on Wednesday made sense when you'd just been through the clothes and noticed what needed a button or a patch. And so on. We may not follow this order, or do some of these tasks today, but every kitchen can use a set of good sturdy and absorbent dishtowels. We've followed the old-fashioned schedule but with a look that is purely our own.