Little time invested in needlework, note (8)
I believe the answer is:
crotchet
'note' is the definition.
(crotchet is a kind of note)
'little time invested in needlework' is the wordplay.
'little time' becomes 't' (abbreviation for time).
'invested in' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'needlework' becomes 'crochet' (crochet is a kind of needlework).
't' put into 'crochet' is 'CROTCHET'.
(Other definitions for crotchet that I've seen before include "perverse notion" , "A note in music equal to half a minim" , "Musical note equal to half a minim" , "as mark scored" , "Quarter of a semibreve" .)