Today we’re thrilled to welcome Michelle, who’s here to share an exciting way to customize the Ice Cream Dress from Oliver + S. She’s going to show us how a few simple adjustments can transform the dress into a fully lined version. It’s such a clever tweak—especially since one of the biggest challenges with fully lining this dress is dealing with the extra bulk under the arms where the yoke meets the gathered skirt. But with her method, she managed to keep the one-piece yoke design while eliminating the bulk entirely!
I’ve always loved the Ice Cream Dress, but I’ve secretly dreamed of making one that’s completely lined. Michelle’s tutorial made that dream a reality. Her approach not only removes the bulk but also gives the dress a polished, professional finish.
To begin, Michelle started by tracing the size she needed for the yoke—she went with a size 6. Next, she carefully aligned the traced yoke piece along the curved part of the pattern piece for the gathered skirt. Then, she extended the curve outward by a few inches on all four sides. This step is key to ensuring everything fits perfectly once assembled.
Once the adjusted pattern was complete, she cut two pieces out of fabric—one for the outer layer and one for the lining. At this stage, she also decided to go with a back closure featuring two buttons with elastic loops. To prepare for this, she inserted the elastic loops and secured them in place.
With the preparation done, the next step was to sew around the inner circle of the yoke and down the back, stopping about 4 inches from the bottom on each side. She also sewed along the flat outer edge, which forms the sleeves. However, she left the outer curves of the bodice unsewn for now.
After completing those steps, she turned the entire yoke right side out and pressed it flat. Now came the trickier part: putting the bodice together. She matched the front outer piece to the back outer piece and did the same for the linings. By stitching these together on both sides, she effectively completed the bodice.
When she flipped it over to the back, she remembered the spot where she had stopped sewing 4 inches from the bottom. That’s where she picked things up again. Starting with the outer pieces, she sewed them together, right sides facing each other, to close up the back. Then, she repeated the process for the lining.
The next phase involved creating the skirt. Unlike the original pattern, Michelle decided to cut two separate rectangles—one for the outer fabric and another slightly longer for the lining. She opted for the full width of the fabric to create a fuller, more gathered look. You can definitely adjust the fullness based on your preference or even make the lining shorter than the outer fabric if you prefer. Michelle enjoyed the tiered effect she achieved, though.
Once the rectangles were cut, she sewed the sides together to form the skirt tubes. She then gathered the tops of the skirts and attached the outer skirt to the outer bodice, right sides facing each other. The same process was repeated for the lining, except she connected the wrong side of the bodice lining to the right side of the skirt lining to keep the seams hidden.
After hemming both skirt pieces, she finished off the dress by sewing on the buttons opposite the elastic loops. And voila! The newly customized Ice Cream Dress was complete.
Looking at the final product, I’m truly impressed. The attention to detail and the thoughtful modifications really pay off. The dress has a clean, professional appearance that feels special and unique.
Michelle, thank you so much for sharing this fantastic project with us today. I had a blast following along and learning from your expertise.
(And yes, I’ll admit—I may have already added this to my “must-make†list.)
I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I did writing it. If you try out this customization yourself, feel free to share your results in the comments below. Happy sewing, everyone!
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