stitch aloft

stitch aloft (third-person singular simple present stitches aloft, present participle stitching aloft, simple past and past participle stitched aloft)

1. (transitive) To sew (something, usually a shoe) such that the stitches are visible instead of covered.
   • 1908, “The Shoe Factory”, in Shoe and Leather Journal‎, volume 22:

     To "stitch aloft" is the best way on welts, too, for the same reasons stated above.

   • 1912, William Henry Dooley, A Manual of Shoemaking and Leather and Rubber Products‎, page 134:

     Shoes that are stitched aloft go through the same operations as the channel-stitched shoes, with the exception that the rounding machine contrivance of cutting is eliminated.

   • 1914, American Shoemaking‎, volume 51, page 316:

     But, in stitching aloft, the groove in the sole should be deep enough to protect the thread from the buffing operation, provided that the lock cannot be reached; the nearer to the top, the better for the wear of the seam.