Fabric I mend cleverly (5)
I believe the answer is:
denim
'fabric' is the definition.
(I know that denim is a type of fabric)
'i mend cleverly' is the wordplay.
'cleverly' is an anagram indicator (a clever or tricky version of the letters).
'i'+'mend'='imend'
'imend' with letters rearranged gives 'DENIM'.
(Other definitions for denim that I've seen before include "Cotton twill fabric" , "Mined badly for a hard-wearing fabric" , "Hard-wearing cloth" , "maker of jeans" , "Tough cotton fabric" .)