What is the meaning of 惜しいくらい?


In Kiki's Delivery Service there is a scene where the 2 girls discuss about
their passions and at some point (at around 1h27m) the older one says:

> 絵かくの楽しくってさねるのが **惜しいくらい** だったんだよ

From my understanding 惜しい is closer to: "It's a pity that" so I unconsciously
translated it as:

> It was a pity I slept (It's a pity I wasted time sleeping when I could have
> been painting)

In the movie it is translated as

> I loved painting. So much that I couldn't sleep.

  1. Which translation is correct/appropriate?  

  2. Why does she say 惜しいくらい and not just 惜しいだった?  
Does くらい mean "at least" here? what is its purpose exactly?

  3. Is there anything else I am missing in 惜しいくらい?




It looks like you're understanding the sentence fine. I also feel like some
subtle nuances of the original sentence were lost in the translation.
ねるのが惜しいぐらい is hard to translate in a short phrase, but like you said, it's
expressing the sentiment that it would have felt like a waste to spend time
sleeping (if the time could be spent painting). Maybe an alternative
translation could be

> 絵かくのたのしくってさ、ねるのが惜しいくらいだったんだよ  
>  I loved painting — so much so that sleeping almost felt like a waste

くらい means "about/approximately" — when comparing her love about painting, she
says it "approximately" felt like sleeping would be a waste, but that would be
quite extreme, so it's relativized by saying くらい (I translated it as
"almost"). This usage of くらい is quite common (relativizing some extreme
statement, but still strengthening some other the sentiment to which it is
compared). For example, I think one could say

> ドラ焼きが好きすぎて、吐くほど食べたい **くらい**  
>  I love dorayaki so much so that I **almost** [but not exactly] want to eat
> to the extent of throwing up

_**Edit.**_ For more information about this usage of くらい see also @naruto's
answer on [Postpositional or prepositional
くらい](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/29453/1628)




It looks like you're understanding the sentence fine. I also feel like some
subtle nuances of the original sentence were lost in the translation.
ねるのが惜しいぐらい is hard to translate in a short phrase, but like you said, it's
expressing the sentiment that it would have felt like a waste to spend time
sleeping (if the time could be spent painting). Maybe an alternative
translation could be

> 絵かくのたのしくってさ、ねるのが惜しいくらいだったんだよ  
>  I loved painting — so much so that sleeping almost felt like a waste

くらい means "about/approximately" — when comparing her love about painting, she
says it "approximately" felt like sleeping would be a waste, but that would be
quite extreme, so it's relativized by saying くらい (I translated it as
"almost"). This usage of くらい is quite common (relativizing some extreme
statement, but still strengthening some other the sentiment to which it is
compared). For example, I think one could say

> ドラ焼きが好きすぎて、吐くほど食べたい **くらい**  
>  I love dorayaki so much so that I **almost** [but not exactly] want to eat
> to the extent of throwing up

_**Edit.**_ For more information about this usage of くらい see also @naruto's
answer on [Postpositional or prepositional
くらい](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/29453/1628)

