METHOD STITCHING A WORK PIECE USING A COMPUTER CONTROLLED, VISION-AIDED SEWING MACHINE

A method for stitching one work piece to another or for stitching a decorative stitch line along a work piece. In one embodiment, the method includes plotting a line on a first work piece, arranging the first work piece so that at least a portion of the first work piece overlies or abuts at least a portion of a second work piece, and then stitching the first work piece to the second work piece along the plotted line with a computer controlled sewing apparatus having a machine vision system to facilitate stitching along the plotted line. In some embodiments the first and second work pieces are portions of a shoe. Also, in some embodiments the line is plotted on the first work piece in ultraviolet ink.