I have a relatively wide fabric strop + leather strop combo (covering the width of the blade). Since I have another smaller leather strop that I like, I rarely use the wide leather but I use the fabric frequently.

However, what I noticed is that these wide strops are rarely 100% flat under the blade, so I came up with an idea forcing it to do the job without using x-pattern, which I don't like to use on the wide strop. What I like to do with the fabric, and sometimes the leather, is to bend one end it into a slight U shape across (NOT lenghtwise), and at the other end to an upside-down U (again only slightly). This way, the strop touches the middle of the blade close to my hand, the entire blade in the middle (here the strop is more flat), and the ends of the blade at the opposite end of the stroke (going straight across, not x-pattern). It works pretty well if you ask me, particularly on the soft fabric strop. Ever heard of this?