Navy Lace with Flounce Sleeves

I've been busy with another top and this one took me outside my comfort zone with a couple of features but isn't that what we're all striving for, to get better and move up the difficulty ladder to perfection!!! Well I'm still on the bottom rungs but feel I'm creeping up in very small steps.

This garment started with a sketch inspired by a new Craftsy Class by Jacque Goldsmih entitled Sew Like a Designer. She showed a method of creating flounce sleeves and together with my body blueprint from Sure-fit Designs I had an idea.

I had bought some navy blue lace fabric and a deep pink knit fabric from a shop in Walthamstow so anyone who knows the area will know I only paid a very silly price for both. In fact the whole top cost under £5.00 but it was supposed to be an experiment.

I started by taking my SFD Body Blueprint and cutting out in both fabrics but putting each matching piece together and treating the result as one. I stay stitched around neck and armscye as well as the back opening in preparation for the zip to keep them from moving, however they behaved very well together and kind of clung to one another which made sewing a lot easier than I had imagined.

 This shows me with a belt and without? Which one do you prefer?